ISLAMABAD: Britain's Prince William and wife Kate Middleton will pay their first official visit to Pakistan from October 14, more than 13 years after the last royal visit to the country, the UK embassy here said on Friday.
William and Kate's visit to Pakistan was first announced in late June. It is the first royal trip to the country in more than a decade.
"Kensington Palace has announced today that the official visit to Pakistan by Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will take place between Monday 14th and Friday 18th October," the embassy said in a statement.
The details of the tour are yet to be unveiled.
However, officials privy to the development said during the five-day visit, the royal couple, both aged 37, will meet top Pakistani leaders and attend various cultural events.
The visit comes 13 years after Charles and Camilla - the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwell - toured the country in 2006.
But Pakistan still vividly remembers the late Princess Diana's visit in 1996 when she travelled to Islamabad, scenic northern areas and Lahore, where she was welcomed by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, the current prime minister.
Diana - who was friends with Imran Khan - also attended a fundraising event of his Shaukat Khanam Memorial Cancer Hospital.
Britain is home to more than a million people of Pakistani origin, making it the largest Pakistani diaspora in Europe.
Bilateral trade was worth almost USD 4 billion in 2017.
The UK is currently Pakistan's third-largest source of foreign investment after China and the Netherlands, according to Britain's Department of International Trade.
British Airways also landed back in Pakistan earlier this year, in a major vote of confidence from a Western airline, after suspending operations due to security fears over a decade ago.